Piston and method of making same



Dec. 9, 1930. R. TVEETOR 1,784,505

PISTON AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed Sept. 7, 192a Patented 9, i

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE numn a. rmoa, or melins'rown, INDIANA rrs'ron AND uni-non or lame sum Application med September 1, me. Serial no. mam.

, My invention relates generally to pistons piston to the connecting rod. The iston is and the manner of formingthe same, and adapted for operation in acylin er spot has to do particularly with a ringless type. shown) such as that used in an automo ile of iston used, for example, with internal engine which has the usual head carrying a com ustionengines, such piston being -therspark plug, the cylinder and head'having the 55 mally controlledtoformanefiective seal with ordinary water jacket for the usual circuthe cylinder wall. lation of water to cool such parts, as is well One of the objectsof my invention is to understood by those skilled in the art. The form a piston of this type, which is simple piston body 1 is of a diameter considerably in construction, cheap to manufacture, and less than the diameter of the cylinder ineo which may be maintained in continuous-servwhich it is adapted to operate, this diameter ice for long periods of time with a minibeing such that, upon expansion of the same 1 mum of wear and with a maximum of eflidue to the heat generated during. the operaciency at all times under any and all operating tion of the engine it will not, under any conconditions. 1 dition, firmly engage the wall of the cylinder. ea.

Another object is to provide a piston with- This one-piece body portion 1 (including the I out rings comprised of different metal, preftop portion 2) is, preferably, made from east erably steel a'nd aluminum, the steel poraluminum although other suitable metalmay tion being thermally controlled to form a be employed in casting. the same, if desired.

seal with the c linder wall which gives a It is a well known fact that considerable to maximum of e$ciency from wearing and difliculty is experienced with pistons employoperating standpoints. ing the usual piston rings from the stand- A further object is to reduce the piston point of sealing efliciency, wear, and mainparts to a minimum, at the same time, increas; tenance. I overcome such difliculties by proin'g engine efiiciency and whereby mainteviding a ringless piston which has self con- 76 nance, labor and cost are reduced to a mini-. tained sealing means and which is efl'ective to mum. a maximum degree at all times, being directl Other and further objects will become a controlled by the particular existing co'nd1- parent as this description progresses. and ii} tions of operations. The control, in this inreference to the drawing wherein stance, is a thermal one aided by the form of w 1 is atop plan view of a piston emsealing ineans'employed.

ymg my invention. a To provide for sealin my piston in its Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view oi such cylinder, I employ a tubular member 4, the piston'taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1. lower portion 4 of which is bent inwardly My novel piston, as shown by the drawon a horizontal plane so as to form, in effect, as

ings, is adapted particularly for use in con a cup-shaped member with a continuous upnection with internal combustion engines standing flange. This vertical flange of the such as those used in connection with autosealing member 4 is substantially the same .mobiles, and it will be described as such; diameter as the body 1 except at the top however, it is obvious that my piston is not portion thereof which is provided with cira0 limited to such use, it being capable ofuse cumferential bead 4". This bead isjso formed in any instance where operating conditions that it normall has an outside diameter only similar to those to be described exist. slightly less say one and one-half thou- Referring particularly to the drawings, my sandths of an inch) than the diameter of the novel piston may comprise a one-piece body cylinder in which the piston operates so that, 05 1, the top ortion 2 of which is cylindrical during operation, an effective and predeterand reduce in'diameter as shown. The body mined seal with the cylinder is formed and 1 is provided with the ordinary inwardly exmaintained as will be explained. tending bosses 3 which. are provided for re- It is hi hly desirable that the sealing menimovably carrying the pin for connecting the ber 4: be ormed very thin sothat it be sufi- 10o ciently resilient and responsive to the varying conditions of operation and so that it will respond quickly to the heat conditions in the cylinder and will rapidly dissipate the heat transmitted thereto. Thinness of the, member 4 is also highly desirableto effect the desired flexibility to insure the desired positive seal. In order to provide these characteristics I, preferably, form the member 4 of a desirable high grade steel formed with a thin and flexible upstanding flange. The bottom 4 of this member is also preferably formed thin to give throughout the desired flexibility and heat dissipating and adjusting qualities. Although I preferably employ steel for the member 4, it is obvious that any other metal which embodies the same or substantially the same characteristics may be employed.

In forming my piston with the construction and'metals above mentioned, I may employ a suitable casting mold. The member 4 is first formed tothe proper shape as shown, and with the bead 4 (all to the desired diameter), after which the same may be placed in the proper position in the mold. The mold is .then fed with aluminum in the proper casting state and, at the end of the casting operation, a complete unitary and self-contained piston construction is formed as shown. If

found desirable, the cast piston surface may be further treated to smooth and clean the same.

In operation, employing my piston, after the engine is started in operation, the upstanding flange of the sealing portion 4, due to the heat generated by the compression and combustion of the gaseous charge in the cylinder, becomes hot and expands very qulckly so that the outer face of the bead 4" is pressed into a snug sealing relation against the cylinder wall. The portion 4 instantly responds to the heat generated to bring the bead into sealing engagement with the entire cylinder wall surface. The body 1 of'the piston also expands, but its diameter is sufliciently less than that of the cylinder to prevent it from firmly engaging the cylinder walls.

As the bead 4 comes into contact with the cylinder wall, which is cooled by the usual water jacket (not shown) surrounding it, the heat therein is rapidly dissipated by being transmitted to the cooler cylinder with the result that the thin flange of the portion 4 is quickly reduced to substantially the temperature of the cylinder. This action is greatly facilitated by the thin steel construction of the member 4 as is well understood. The foregoing resultant reduction in temperature of the flange is effective to prevent any further expansion of such flange and, consequently, any further tightening of the bead 4 against the cylinder wall. Thus, the seal ing portion of the piston is thermally and positively controlled to effect a predetermined and maximum effective seal in the cylinder and to maintain the same at all times under all operation conditions in that the bead 4 presses against the cylinder wall at all times, with just that desired and predetermined force to form the desired and maximum eflective seal. Furthermore, with this construction, wear of the parts is reducedto a minimum, and the minimum number of parts also reduces the original cost and maintespace between said head part and the adjacent body part, and a separate, continuously formed, thin steel sealing member unremovably secured to said body, said member being cup-shaped with its horizontal bottom portion extending into and fixed in said space, and its upstanding wall or flange part being substantially parallel with the wall of said body and having its upper edge portion extended radially to engage the cylinder wall, the rel- .ative proportions of the foregoing parts being such that the cylinder wall is engaged only by said radially extended portion.

2. A self-contained ringless piston construction comprising a cast aluminum body having an annular recess adjacent one end thereof extending inwardly from the circumferential surface, and a separate thin steel sealing member unremovably interlocked with said body, said sealin member having a horizontal base portion xedly carried by said body in said recess and an upstanding thin flange with a circumferential bead tion immovable and unremovably interlocked in said groove and an upstanding un'ointed flange carrying a sealing bead for e ecting the sole engagement with the cylinder wall during operation of the piston therein.

4. In a piston, a cylindrical body with an integral and reduced head portion formed of one material, and a sealing member formed I of another thermo-active material fixed to said body, saidmember having ,acontmuously formed horizontal part 'fixedly embedmy name.

ded in said piston between said head and body, and an upstandin continuousl formed part substantially para el with said body and head and spaced from said head, said horizontal part being long enough to extend to and support said upstanding part substantially in alignment with .the wall of said body part.

5. A ringless piston comprising a continuous-piece, cup-shaped member formed of steel tubing and having a horizontal portion and an unjointed thin flange for sealmg the piston in the cylinder, and a body having said orizontal portion of said cup-shaped portion embedded therein during the forming of said body, said body forming the skirt and head of said piston.

6. In a iston, the combination of a cast aluminum ody including an annular recess extending inwardly from the circumferential surface thereof, and a thin steel sealing member fixedly secured in said recess for engagement with the walls of a cylinder. 1

- 7. In a piston, the combination of a cast metallic body including an annular recess extending inwardly from the circumferential surface thereof, and a thin metallic sealing member fixedly secured in said recess for engagement with the wall of a cylinder.

8. Ina piston, a cylindrical body having an integral, reduced head portion formed of one material and including an annular recess adjacent said head extending inwardly from the circumferential surface of said body, and a sealing member formed of another thermo-active material fixed to said body, said member having a continuously formed horizontal part fixed in said recess, and an upstanding-continuously formed part substantially parallel with said bod and head and spaced from said head, saighorizontal part being long enough to extend to and support said upstanding part substantially in alignment with the wall of said body part.

9. In a piston, a cylindrical body having an integral, reduced head portionformed of one material .and includin an annular recess adjacent said head portlon extending inwardly from the circumferential surface of said body, and a cup-shaped sealing member formed of another thermo-active material fixed to said bod the bottom portion of said member being ed in said recess and the upstanding flange thereof being substantially parallel with said body and head and spaced from said head, said bottom portion being long enough to extend to and support said upstanding flange substantially in alignment with the wall of said body part.

In testimony whereof, I have subscribed RALPH R. TEETOR. 

